Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda

Highest listed crest 30.54 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft88 crests since 1962

The Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 88 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1962 to 2026. The highest, 30.54 ft on November 1, 1998, was major flooding, 8.54 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Whitewater River (KS) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.54 ft
November 1, 1998; 80,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
7
8th of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 4, 2025
28.80 ft, major flooding
Location
Butler County
Near El Dorado (8.4 mi), Andover (9.9 mi), Bel Aire (12.8 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda
Action stage20.08Nov 3, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.048May 27, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.012May 25, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.07Jun 4, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

88 crests from 1962 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda, 1962 to 2026 010203040ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jun 2, 1962: 21.89 ft, action stage; 6,840 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1963: 24.03 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1964: 17.31 ft, below flood stage; 3,990 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1964: 24.08 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1965: 28.02 ft, major flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1965: 23.61 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1965: 24.40 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1967: 22.49 ft, minor flooding; 7,580 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1968: 24.40 ft, minor floodingOct 17, 1968: 25.20 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1969: 25.43 ft, moderate flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1969: 24.69 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1969: 24.03 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1970: 22.20 ft, minor flooding; 6,980 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1970: 22.55 ft, minor flooding; 7,360 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1970: 11.29 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1972: 14.91 ft, below flood stage; 3,750 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1973: 23.16 ft, minor flooding; 8,090 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1973: 24.17 ft, minor flooding; 9,590 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1973: 24.86 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1974: 23.70 ft, minor floodingMay 29, 1975: 22.02 ft, minor flooding; 6,620 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1975: 23.10 ft, minor floodingJul 4, 1976: 24.47 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 1977: 22.90 ft, minor flooding; 8,800 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1978: 24.37 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1979: 29.73 ft, major flooding; 58,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1980: 10.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1981: 5.19 ft, below flood stage; 568 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1982: 16.10 ft, below flood stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1983: 22.53 ft, minor flooding; 8,670 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1984: 20.92 ft, action stage; 5,930 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1984: 20.05 ft, action stage; 5,500 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1985: 28.50 ft, major floodingJul 7, 1986: 23.20 ft, minor floodingOct 4, 1986: 22.76 ft, minor flooding; 9,180 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1987: 23.40 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 1987: 22.18 ft, minor flooding; 7,950 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1988: 22.40 ft, minor floodingAug 29, 1989: 20.77 ft, action stage; 5,860 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1990: 21.60 ft, action stage; 6,900 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1991: 7.58 ft, below flood stage; 1,440 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1992: 20.28 ft, action stage; 5,940 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1992: 22.93 ft, minor flooding; 8,950 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 25.22 ft, moderate flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1993: 22.93 ft, minor flooding; 8,950 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1993: 23.47 ft, minor flooding; 9,700 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1994: 16.95 ft, below flood stage; 4,620 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1995: 22.61 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 1995: 23.38 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 1995: 27.65 ft, moderate flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1995: 24.53 ft, minor flooding; 13,386 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1996: 9.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1998: 30.54 ft, major flooding; 80,600 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2003: 22.27 ft, minor flooding; 8,090 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2003: 24.85 ft, minor flooding; 14,986 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2004: 23.81 ft, minor flooding; 10,765 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 2004: 25.04 ft, moderate flooding; 15,882 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2005: 24.90 ft, minor flooding; 12,699 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2005: 24.33 ft, minor flooding; 10,989 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2005: 25.84 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2007: 22.82 ft, minor flooding; 9,419 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 25.92 ft, moderate flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2009: 28.04 ft, major flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2010: 25.99 ft, moderate flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2010: 24.38 ft, minor flooding; 11,507 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2013: 22.62 ft, minor flooding; 7,610 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2013: 24.27 ft, minor flooding; 9,430 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 2013: 21.02 ft, action stage; 7,880 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2015: 22.69 ft, minor flooding; 9,280 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2016: 25.84 ft, moderate flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2016: 26.35 ft, moderate flooding; 15,904 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2017: 23.59 ft, minor flooding; 9,343 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2018: 24.39 ft, minor flooding; 10,581 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2019: 28.03 ft, major flooding; 26,400 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2019: 26.68 ft, moderate flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2019: 26.86 ft, moderate flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2019: 24.49 ft, minor flooding; 9,080 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2020: 23.82 ft, minor flooding; 8,370 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2021: 23.20 ft, minor flooding; 7,920 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2022: 24.22 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2022: 23.10 ft, minor flooding; 8,800 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2023: 10.13 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 2024: 20.09 ft, action stage; 6,460 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2025: 28.80 ft, major flooding; 31,400 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2025: 18.69 ft, below flood stage; 5,790 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2025: 15.03 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2026: 19.01 ft, below flood stage; 5,944 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.54 ft, Nov 1, 1998 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda 1960s: 11 1970s: 12 1980s: 7 1990s: 9 2000s: 10 2010s: 13 13 2020s: 5 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 88 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda
1Nov 1, 199830.54+8.54Major80,600
2Jun 8, 197929.73+7.73Major58,400
3Jun 4, 202528.80+6.80Major31,400
4Oct 11, 198528.50+6.50Major—
5Apr 27, 200928.04+6.04Major34,400
6May 8, 201928.03+6.03Major26,400
7Jun 5, 196528.02+6.02Major40,200
8Jun 9, 199527.65+5.65Moderate35,900
9May 25, 201926.86+4.86Moderate18,300
10May 21, 201926.68+4.68Moderate17,300
11Sep 10, 201626.35+4.35Moderate15,904
12Jun 10, 201025.99+3.99Moderate16,900
13Sep 14, 200825.92+3.92Moderate16,500
14Aug 26, 200525.84+3.84Moderate16,000
15Jul 3, 201625.84+3.84Moderate13,400
16Apr 27, 196925.43+3.43Moderate17,000
17May 9, 199325.22+3.22Moderate16,800
18Oct 17, 196825.20+3.20Moderate15,600
19Jul 25, 200425.04+3.04Moderate15,882
20Jun 10, 200524.90+2.90Minor12,699
21Oct 12, 197324.86+2.86Minor11,800
22Oct 10, 200324.85+2.85Minor14,986
23May 22, 196924.69+2.69Minor13,000
24Aug 15, 199524.53+2.53Minor13,386
25Jun 24, 201924.49+2.49Minor9,080
26Jul 4, 197624.47+2.47Minor—
27Sep 22, 196524.40+2.40Minor15,000
28Jul 26, 196824.40+2.40Minor—
29Oct 10, 201824.39+2.39Minor10,581
30Jun 15, 201024.38+2.38Minor11,507
31May 19, 197824.37+2.37Minor14,500
32Jun 14, 200524.33+2.33Minor10,989
33Aug 7, 201324.27+2.27Minor9,430
34May 5, 202224.22+2.22Minor11,100
35Mar 11, 197324.17+2.17Minor9,590
36Nov 16, 196424.08+2.08Minor13,400
37Jul 13, 196324.03+2.03Minor12,600
38Jun 24, 196924.03+2.03Minor10,100
39May 16, 202023.82+1.82Minor8,370
40Mar 6, 200423.81+1.81Minor10,765
41Apr 21, 197423.70+1.70Minor—
42Jun 10, 196523.61+1.61Minor11,400
43Mar 30, 201723.59+1.59Minor9,343
44Jul 19, 199323.47+1.47Minor9,700
45Mar 2, 198723.40+1.40Minor—
46May 24, 199523.38+1.38Minor—
47Jul 7, 198623.20+1.20Minor—
48Jun 26, 202123.20+1.20Minor7,920
49Feb 2, 197323.16+1.16Minor8,090
50Jun 9, 197523.10+1.10Minor—

The worst floods along the Whitewater River (KS)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Whitewater River (KS) that crested above flood stage within a week.

November 1, 1998: 30.54 ft here, major flooding

  • AugustaKS · Nov 1, 1998 · 34.95 ft · Major · its highest

June 8, 1979: 29.73 ft here, major flooding

  • AugustaKS · Jun 8, 1979 · 32.70 ft · Major

June 4, 2025: 28.80 ft here, major flooding

  • AugustaKS · Jun 4, 2025 · 30.08 ft · Major

Gauges on the Whitewater River (KS)

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Whitewater River (KS)
Towanda this gaugeKS22.030.54 ft, Nov 1, 19987
AugustaKS21.034.95 ft, Nov 1, 19985

Other gauges in Butler County

Flood gauges in Butler County
Augusta23.036.35 ft, Jun 5, 19651
El Dorado19.026.65 ft, Jun 8, 19791
El Dorado21.032.14 ft, Jun 8, 19793
Augusta21.034.95 ft, Nov 1, 19985

Butler County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Kansas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TOWK1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.